Brian: I'll side with Jim on this one. Replacing that block will be a nightmare. I would: 1. Plug the bottom of the pin holes. Glue veneer to the underside or put a plug made from epoxy putty in the bottom of the hole. 2. Fill the pin holes with Epo-tek 301 epoxy. It is water thin and will fill all cracks and voids; if you have identified areas of delamination, clamp them up after applying the epoxy. 3. It will take two, perhaps three tries to completely fill up the block. You'll wonder where all that epoxy went...If you'd like to experiment first, take a scrap of old block & do this part of the operation, then bandsaw it open. You might be surprised at how far the epoxy penetrates the wood. 4. Wait 3-4 days for the epoxy to cure completely. Save samples of the batches you've mixed & check them for hardness. 5. Install the center pin plug first, then the front & rear plugs. Jack a piece of wood under the block so it doesn't split out at the bottom. Use the Epo-tek or Westlake epoxy to secure the plugs. The final product should be very strong & stable as the shear strenght of the Epo-tek is 1800 psi. Trendline Tools has plug cutters that work very well. I strongly recommend using a Vortek bit cooler to extend the cutter's life. If you install pinblocks on a regular basis, you should have plenty of scrap suitable for converting into plugs. If you can find someone who has replaced this kind of pinblock before, pay them whatever they charge, arrange to observe the process and report back to the rest of us. I'd love to see how someone would actually go about replacing one of these monsters. Good luck, Walt Connell Dallas, TX.
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